Stephanie Birn’s death has left friends grieving as prosecutors pursue homicide charges against her ex-boyfriend.
KENOSHA, Wis. — Friends of Stephanie Birn are remembering the 37-year-old Kenosha mother as generous and loving while prosecutors accuse her ex-boyfriend of killing her inside her home.
Birn was found dead April 25 in a residence on the 5700 block of 13th Avenue after police responded to a reported fight outside. Dale Dallia, 42, is charged with killing her and attacking a 41-year-old man who survived. The criminal case includes graphic allegations of a stabbing, a broken door, a second assault and statements police say Dallia made from a squad car. For Birn’s friends, the case is also about a woman they say had tried to separate herself from a relationship that worried them.
Giselle Gibson, described in local reporting as one of Birn’s closest friends, said Birn had “a big heart” and would do anything for anybody. Gibson said Birn had tried many times to get away from Dallia, but she believed he had control over her that friends did not understand. Another friend, Karyn Pedraza, said the death had left her crying for days. “She loved fiercely,” Pedraza said. “She would do anything for anyone.” Friends also said Birn had an 11-year-old son. Police and prosecutors have not released many details about the child, and court records focus on the criminal allegations against Dallia.
Police were not first called for a welfare check on Birn. They were sent to a fight between two men near 13th Avenue and 57th Street at about 3:30 p.m. A caller said one person appeared seriously injured and was lying on the ground. Officers found a 41-year-old Kenosha man with serious injuries and detained Dallia as he tried to leave the area. Fire crews took over medical care for the injured man. Officers then learned there might be another person inside the home. They went in and found Birn unconscious. The complaint says she had been stabbed 16 times.
The surviving man told police he and Birn had been romantically involved and that she stayed at his home the night before the attacks. He said he went to her house after receiving a text from her phone asking him to come over. When he arrived, the front door appeared kicked in and the trim was off, according to the complaint. He said he was attacked immediately on the porch. Police say Dallia hit him with a frying pan three times, then wrestled with him for five to six minutes. The man said Dallia strangled him, gouged at his eyes and accused him of having sex with Birn.
Inside the home, investigators found the evidence that turned the police response into a homicide case. The complaint says Birn was dying from 16 stab wounds when officers found her. A bent steak knife was located in the kitchen sink. Officers said Dallia had bloody hands, blood spatter on his face and blood on his arms and shirt. The complaint also says officers described what appeared to be human flesh on his clothing and hands. Police have not publicly released a full forensic report, and the record available so far does not explain the exact order of every injury.
The complaint says Dallia made several statements that prosecutors are expected to use as evidence. While the injured man was lying in the grass, Dallia allegedly called him names and said he was lucky he had not been killed. Police said he also said he hoped the man died. After officers put him in a squad car, Dallia allegedly overheard them talking about Birn dying at the scene. Police say he laughed and said, “I don’t care about you,” then used a slur and added, “That’s what you get.” Those words are allegations in the complaint, not findings by a jury.
Investigators also looked backward from the scene to the hours and weeks before Birn died. A witness told police they had dropped Dallia off at Birn’s home and that he appeared intoxicated. The witness said Dallia pounded on the door and yelled for it to be opened. The complaint says he also yelled that he was going to kill someone. Police say Dallia posted on Facebook hours before the stabbing, asking whether any of his “true thug friends” would help him get rid of a body. A roommate told police Dallia had recently claimed he went through Birn’s phone and believed she had cheated on him.
The allegations came after earlier criminal cases involving Dallia. Court records show he was charged in October 2024 with strangulation, battery, disorderly conduct and bail jumping after he allegedly choked a coworker. He later pleaded guilty to battery and disorderly conduct. In early 2026, he pleaded guilty to operating while intoxicated and drug possession. He had been sentenced to 90 days in jail but served 42 days because of credits and was released March 25. Birn was killed 31 days later. Friends’ concerns about Birn’s safety now sit beside that record, though the court case will turn on admissible evidence.
Dallia is being held on a $2 million bond. Prosecutors have charged him with homicide and attempted homicide, and local reports said he faces additional counts tied to the assault and police response. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 12. That hearing is not a trial. It is an early step where a judge reviews whether the state has enough evidence to proceed. Dallia has not been convicted in Birn’s death and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The surviving man’s condition has been described as serious, but public reports have not provided a detailed medical update.
Birn’s friends have framed the loss in personal terms: a mother gone, a son left without her, and a circle of people trying to understand how an afternoon call about a fight became a murder case. Police have continued to process evidence and build the file for prosecutors. The next public answers are expected through court hearings, where the complaint’s allegations can be tested.
Author note: Last updated May 26, 2026.